Baby Boomer Blues
by Steve West on April 23, 2021
I overheard someone of my generation (born in the early 60's) recently say, "Kids today don't even know how to write in cursive," in a negative way. That statement got grumbled agreement from the codgers nearby. I was thinking without saying out loud, "Grandma, you can't even turn on your laptop without getting six viruses and wiring half your retirement money to a Nigerian Prince." How can two people in the same generation have such polarizing views? Why am I surprised and disappointed when this happens across myriad issues? A little tolerance, please.
Four Replies to Baby Boomer Blues
Erik Bates | April 23, 2021
[hidden by author request]
Steve West | April 23, 2021
And to that I say, "Me transmitte sursum, caledoni (Beam me up, Scotty). Si hoc signum legere potes, operis boni in rebus Latinus alacribus et fructuosis potiri potes! (If you can read this sign, you can get a good job in the fast paced, high paying world of Latin!)"
And its close relative, Dante's Inferno in middle Italian, "Lasciate ogni speranza, voi ch'entrate. (Abandon all hope ye who enter here.)"
Scott Hardie | April 27, 2021
I agree with your excellent points. But of course, the "Constitution" talk is really just a political signal. The kind of person who frets about "kids today" is also likely to hold that particular document in a certain esteem, and a politician can score twice the affinity by linking them.
Those old codgers that Steve described are really going to flip their shit when they realize that this is the last generation of kids that learns to write longhand at all.
Web Junkie
Steve West scours the Web searching for interest or absurdity and then shakes his head ruefully when he finds it. Read more »
Turn Left At Alpha Centauri
So you've been abducted by aliens. How on Earth (literally) are you going to get back home? Fortunately, you are a forward thinker; a planner; an "any room I enter I have an escape route" thinker. Go »Barbie Gets Implants
In the early ‘90’s, I heard a stand-up routine by Cathy Ladman in which she was buying a Barbie doll as a birthday present for her niece. She’s looking at the doll displays and her eye catches a “Gift-Giving Ken”. She says, I really don’t think this is gonna prepare her for adult relationships. Go »Halloween Is Not For Kids
More and more, Halloween is becoming an occasion for parents to dress their kids for their own amusement and less and less for children to dress themselves as they want. I find it difficult to believe that any of these kids chose these costumes themselves and, although creative, are scary insights into the minds of their potential serial killer parents. The "rat eating brains" cap for infants disturbed me the most. Go »Post Florida is Literally Murder
Brenda and I recently returned from a wonderful week spent in Sarasota with Scott and Kelly. Lauren and her husband, Jon, were able to fly down from ND to care for Olivia while we were travelling. The trip started as a mixed bag of positives and negatives, as the people in the row in front of us spoke incessantly and at an annoyingly loud volume but the young lady who shared our row was delightful. Go »Never Volunteer, Dummy
Ever since seeing Anthony Hopkins in Magic, ventriloquists and their evil dummies have given me the creeps. This guy does as well but I laughed nonetheless. I think I could sit through his entire act but could never get past the queasiness and actually volunteer like this guy did. Go »
Scott Hardie | April 23, 2021
I read an article that explained that despite their reputation for not understanding technology, seniors can learn it just fine; the reason why they don't is that they don't see any value in it for them. What use do they have for TikTok or Snapchat or Roblox?
To which I say: What use do kids today have for cursive?